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Do You Have A Sweet Tooth That’s Getting You In Trouble?

Many people come to my office utterly confessing that they have a sweet tooth that’s causing all of the problems in their life. First of all, it’s good to have a sweet tooth… It’s one of the joys in life to have some sweet treats made with love, by the people who are bringing “sweetness” into your reality. The trouble seems to come up when things are out of balance in your body, when that occasional sweet treat has become an unconscious habit, and the sweet tooth has become your arch nemesis.

The article pin-pointed the powerful technique of implementing dried fruit in the place of the conventional sweeteners when you’re making snacks and treats. Why this is so powerful is that you are no longer just eating empty sugar calories. You’re now eating highly mineralized foods that enable your body to signal satiety, and guard against the hormonal disfunction that would cause you to overeat.

The truth is now evident, when you eat too much sugar, your body stores fat like crazy! But how much sugar is too much?

According to the USDA, the average American eats 150 POUNDS of sugar each year. Now it doesn’t take rocket science to discern that that 150 pounds has gone way over the “too much” limit. But most people are far too smart to let that amount of sugar get the best of them… So how does 150 pounds actually creep up on you?

To put it straight, it’s the cumulative effort of the small daily “habits” that are adding up to big numbers in the end. Now I know that most the readers of my articles aren’t guzzling sodas, but take this for one interesting fact for example:

Just one 20 oz. bottle of soda is a whopping 13 teaspoons of sugar.

And do you think that 13 teaspoons of sugar will undermine the integrity of your metabolism? You better believe it!

I recently saw someone opening up a bottle of soda, and it felt like I was in the movie Back to the Future… My mind was asking the question, “People still do that?”

The choice is clear, we need to implement more intelligent strategies to avoid the illnesses that excess sugar can bring. It’s also important to be clear that just because it’s a “natural” sweetener, doesn’t mean that it can’t have the same impact on your body. Many experienced health seekers have gotten themselves into trouble overdoing the agave, raw honey, dates, and fruit sugar (fructose). I recently wrote an article about the dangers of high fructose corn syrup and other food additives which you can check out right here: The 3 Hidden Food Additives That Are Blocking Your Weight Loss Success

I want to share with you my best strategy for having an amazing sweet taste, but keeping everything in balance and avoiding the next sugar bomb.

In recipes use: One handful of a dried superfruit like Goji berries, cherries, or mulberries plus a little bit of stevia, which is a fantastic non-glycemic sweetener. By itself, stevia doesn’t do the trick for most people, but when you add it along with a small amount of another sweetener, it really brings out the flavor of everything. And here’s the big key to cracking the whole sugar code: Add some *Salt*

Just a pinch of high quality salt rounds out all of the flavors and brings everything to life. Any experienced chef and dessert connoisseur will tell you this. You can check out a video where I’m making a delicious Anti-aging beverage, and using the strategy that I just shared with you right here: Longevity Elixir

So let me know what you’re favorite sweetener is. Are you a honey person (I am!), or are you into maple syrup or something else? We simply need to have things in balance for our bodies, so leave your comment below and share the sweetener tops your list.

I use agave nectar in most of my raw desserts and tea.( sometimes honey in my tea) I have recently discovered coconut nectar. I was expecting a coconutty flavor but to my suprise it just added sweetness. I now find it superior to agave nectar because of its light delicate flavor. It is a vegan product, gluten free and non-dairy, perfect for my raw desserts and flavoring my favorite drink.

I use organic, whole-cane sugar and raw, blue agave. However, I have been hearing about coconut nectar and will try looking for some to try it. I also use stevia, but as you said, Shawn, I find it needs to be used with something else. For some reason, I cannot use honey. It makes me a bit naucious. Don’t know why, but I leave it alone. Thank you for this great information. Also, congrats on expecting your first baby. What a special time!!

Shawn Stevenson is a bestselling author and creator of The Model Health Show, featured as the #1 Health podcast on iTunes with millions of listener downloads each year. A graduate of The University of Missouri - St. Louis, Shawn studied business, biology, and kinesiology, and went on to be the founder of Advanced Integrative Health Alliance, a company that provides wellness services for individuals and organizations worldwide. Shawn has been featured in Entrepreneur magazine, Men's Health magazine, ESPN, FOX News, and many other major media outlets. He is also a frequent keynote speaker for numerous organizations, universities, and conferences. Click here to learn more about Shawn